Right now, in this moment, take a look at your calendar. It’s time for an “Ewww…” check. It’s simple to do. As you review your entries, check to see if your instinctive first impression is, “Eww…”, in your gut or head or heart. It’s oh so easy to say yes, and sometimes uncomfortable to say […]
There’s been a great deal of dialog about this cry for action in our communities. A common response, primarily by white people, is to say, “Yes, but all lives matter.” I believe that this rejoinder is part of the problem. When anyone responds this way, we yet again shift our focus away from a laser […]
I saw this headline and photo on my Facebook feed this morning: “The race is on in bid to save sea turtles.” You may have had a similar reaction to mine: “Aww, that is wonderful. I’m glad people care.” And then I did something interesting. I re-read the story as a metaphor for people who […]
It actually matters quite a bit, this idea of self. Our beliefs about the separateness of our Self or the connection of Self to everything else in the universe shape how we think, feel, and live each and every moment of the day. What is the self? Is it different from identify or self-image? Am […]
This famous movie line sums up the choice I had before me when I realized I was going to need surgery. It all started back in February when my husband and I made a snap decision to go see the Lake Superior ice caves on our way home from a cross country ski and snowshoe […]
Last spring, I traveled to Harvard University to study with Dr. Lisa Lahey and Dr. Robert Kegan. For the past 35 years, they’ve been developing a process for personal, group and organizational transformation called Immunity to Change. What they’ve learned in over three decades of research and field application is that they’re on to something […]
“Sow an expectation, reap a disappointment.” This adage confounded me for a long, long time. How can I not have expectations? For example, if I pay for my groceries, I expect that I will be allowed to take them home. If I’m in a relationship, I expect to be treated with kindness and not be […]
“I really want to go back to grad school this year. I’m going to do it!” “I wonder what it will be like?” “Do I even remember how to write a research paper?” “Will everyone be younger and smarter than me?” “I have no idea how I’ll keep up with work and everything else in […]
This question causes me to stumble and trip over my words more times than I like to admit. I have so many answers, and they’re all true: I coach, facilitate, teach, train, consult, advise, coordinate, manage, lead, design, write. This morning, this thought popped into my head: “I will do anything I can to help […]
I’ve wanted to write an essay with this title for a long time. Since my 20th high school reunion, in fact. I wasn’t going to go, but I impulsively turned in my registration in a wave of nostalgia and curiosity. I was fortunate to have a group of girlfriends who made high school bearable, and […]
New Leaf Coaching & Consulting is an Organizational Development Consultancy. We help people in values-based organizations work well together so they can do amazing work in the world. We create customized solutions, focused on your goals, so your organization can achieve extraordinary results.